Workout Of The Week: What Is The Best Workout For Training Bodyparts Twice Per Week?

With proper diet, rest and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so you can train each muscle twice per week. Our forum members come through again and give us some great workouts for all levels of experience. Try them out.

The Winners

1st Place Aussie LTD

With proper diet, rest and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week. Training muscle groups twice per week can match, or surpass the results you can get from conventional one-day a week routines.

It is all about how you incorporate twice per week training into your routine so it works. In this article I will go over those that help make twice a week routine a success, such as training frequency, volume and several sample routines to suit your own taste. Please read on.

Workout

What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.

Hardcore 6-day Routine For Mass:

Split: Push/Pull/Legs

Frequency: 6 days per week.

Volume: Moderate

Workout length: 45-60 minutes

Monday: Chest/Delts/Triceps Workout A:

Incline dumbbell press - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Dips - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Machine bench press - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Dumbbell flyes - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Seated overhead press - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Tricep pressdowns - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Smith-machine upright rows - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

One-arm dumbbell overhead extensions - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Side dumbbell laterals - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Tuesday: Legs workout A:

ATG Squats - 3 sets, 6-8 reps

Stiff-legged deadlifts - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Leg extensions - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Lying leg curls - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Smith-machine lunge - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Machine calf raises - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Seated calf raises - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Seated calf raises - 1 set, 6-8 reps

Wednesday: Back/Biceps/Forearms Workout A:

Deadlifts - 2 sets, 4-8 reps

Incline dumbbell rows - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Lat pulldowns - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Seated cable rows - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Hyperextensions - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

EZ bar curls - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Incline curls - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Dumbbell preacher curls - 2 sets, 6-8 reps

Dumbbell wrist curls - 1 set, 6-8 reps

Dumbbell wrist extensions - 1 set, 6-8 reps

Thursday: Off

Split repeats itself following day with workout B's.

Friday: Chest/Delts/Triceps Workout B:

Incline Smith-Machine press - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Dumbbell pullovers - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Flat dumbbell press - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Cable crossovers - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Seated barbell overhead press - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

EZ bar lying tricep extension - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Seated cable rear delt rows - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Reverse-grip two-arm cable pressdowns - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Cable side-laterals - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Saturday: Legs: Workout B:

Front barbell Squats - 3 sets, 10-12 reps

Stiff-legged deadlifts - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

One-Leg extensions - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Seated leg curls - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Split-squat - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Donkey calf raises - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Hack machine calf raises - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Seated calf raises - 1 set, 10-12 reps

Sunday: Back/Biceps/Forearms Workout B:

Deadlifts - 2 sets, 8-10 reps

Machine rows - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Wide-grip chin-ups - 2 sets, 8 reps

One-arm rows - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Lying torso raise - 2 sets, 12-15 reps

Seated alternating dumbbell curls - 2 sets, 12-15 reps

Concentration curls - 2 sets, 12-15 reps

Cable one-arm curls - 2 sets, 12-15 reps

Cable wrist curls - 1 set, 12-15 reps

Wrist extensions - 1 set, 12-15 reps

Program Notes:

This is a great routine for advanced lifters, or those who have had experience with training body parts twice per week. I've used this program with great results. It's a 3 day split that should be performed twice a week, with a day break between A and B workouts.

Both workouts hit muscles with different movements, and reps alter from your conventional 6-8 reps, to 10-12 reps in the second split. The higher-rep days shouldn't be treated as a rest; they will sculpt some nice muscle if sets are taken to failure or close to it.

Sets per workout are between 16-and-18 to avoid overtraining and exercises are ordered specifically to avoid fatiguing.

If you're a beginner I recommend this program before moving onto the more advance 6-day split. But even advanced trainers can benefit from this too if they prefer the simpler, 4-day format.

The rep range is 6-8 for upper body, and slightly higher on legs. Overall volume is higher because you're only training 4 days.

Simple Training:

For those that like to keep their training simple.

Most people like their keep their training format simple; or as people say, they like to "stick to the basics ..." this program is great for those who don't like all the complexity of all the above routines.

This work-out has a simple structure, with just the two workouts, both performed twice per week. It focuses on heavy free-weight compounds, with a lower rep range and therefore a great option for building mass quickly.

Sets are moderate, and the rep range is indicated as 6-10. This is within the hypertrophy range. Find a rep-range between 6-to-10 that works for you, or do as I do, as alternate rep ranges between workouts.

The days you choose to train can be changed, but make sure you get at least 2 days complete recovery before training the same body-art again.

Training Sessions: When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?

How many sessions you decide to use per week will be determined by the body part split you're on. Those who use a 2-day split, such as upper body/lower body end up working out four days per week to hit body parts twice. On the other hand, there are those who train 3-day splits, and hit all muscles twice within the 6 days.

Whether you decide you use an upper body/lower body split, or a push/pull system, both 2-day splits, and 3-day splits (total of 4-and-6 days per week) are your best options.

Those training 4 days per week have more rest at a time rest is needed, but those training 6 days are able to split body parts up more and give each a little more attention. However many days you choose to train, you should aim for 2 days complete rest between sessions to ensure you don't disrupt the recovery and re-growth process. This is why 2-day splits shouldn't be done 6 days per week.

It's not so much the amount of sessions per week that can pose a problem though, but your overall training frequency. A lot of people make the mistake of keeping overall volume for each muscle group similar to what it used to be when they trained once per week, simply because it's what they've gotten used to.

At this point, you'll probably start overtraining, and you'll notice counterproductive results, rather than positive ones. To ensure this doesn't happen to you, regardless of where each muscle group fits in to your split, you should only have half the amount of volume for each muscle group per workout as you did when you training once per week.

Out of common sense, those training 4 days per week (2-day split) can allow themselves to use more volume per workout, whereas those training 6 days per week (3-day split) need to be more cautious.

When training body parts 2 days per week your overall training should really remain the same. The only difference by training body parts twice per week is you're hitting each body part twice.

Overall, you should remember that increasing the amount you train each week isn't your goal; hitting each muscle more often, and experiencing the benefits this brings is.

Alternating Workouts:

If you're an advocate of using several exercises per muscle group to "hit them from all angles," it's an idea to alternate between two different workouts for each muscle group.

When training twice per week, it only leaves you with half the amount of exercises per body part. By alternating between two different workouts weekly, you're training with the same variety as you did when training one day per week, and getting the added benefit of stimulating muscle-fibers more frequently.

Doing this also allows you to hit a different head of each muscle each week, so in a sense, you have the whole week to recover.

When constructing a workout like this, write it up as if you were training each muscle once per week, and then simply split the exercises into two workouts. It makes it a lot easier.

Better Or Worse? How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?

Providing your diet and sleep are in check, training each muscle group twice per week is far superior from a muscle-growth perspective. There is no doubting the benefits of increasing the frequency of stimulation.

You're training twice per week, so the process of breakdown and re-growth is occurring twice, as opposed to once per week. Each muscle is getting stimulated just after it has recovered, meaning you are wasting no time before getting the job done again.

On the other hand, when training once a week, a trainer is left with 2-3 days where muscles are in an inactive state. This time of inactivity is time that could be used to train the muscle, and quicken the whole growth process.

But there are also benefits to training them just once a week. Firstly, you are giving more attention to each muscle group. Usually, you are training muscle groups on their own, or only with one other smaller muscle, putting you in a better position to focus on each muscle.

I find this teaches you to treat each muscle individually, rather than treating your body as a whole, which helps isolate muscles and establish a muscle-mind link.

One-day per week splits also have the benefit of allowing you to sculpt more variety into your routine. You don't have to worry about restricting volume per muscle group to avoid overtraining, which gives you more freedom in your exercise selection. Also, if you're on a split training muscles twice per week, your target muscle might be fully recovered before your next workout, but your triceps are still sore from their workout.

To counteract against these things, there are a few things you can do. Firstly, it's an idea to follow the push/pull/legs split where all your relative muscle groups work together to either push or pull. This avoids the problem of hampering a workout in which one or two synergist muscles are still in recovery.

Secondly, so you aren't sacrificing exercises, you can alternate between 2, or even 3 workouts for each body part. And to increase the attention to each body part, you can go old school, and split your workout into morning and afternoon/night sessions.

Keep the actual exercises, sets and reps the same, just split the workout into one/two body parts in the morning, and the other at night. This will help you focus on muscles more individually, and help establish that muscle-mind link.

On a final note, 3-4 days rest between workouts is more than enough for the whole repair process to occur, especially with today's supplements and knowledge. But if you do still feel sore, listen to your signals and take a day off before your next workout. Muscle recovery is dependent on how you nurture yourself outside the gym, so if have sleep, rest, nutrition and supplementation covered, you should be on your way to progress.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Follow some of the pointers to ensure this works wonders for you, rather than burning you off!

All the best.

2nd Place RC26

What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.

A lot of people ask if they should work a body part once or twice per week, and different people give different answers. I've tried both and felt that working a body part once a week is not enough. I've included two different workouts, one for beginners and one for advanced bodybuilders.

The best workout for training body parts twice a week is as follows.

Beginners

The goal for beginners is to gain muscle mass, which is why 3 of the 6 days in the gym are heavy days. Sunday is a rest day, so make sure you don't engage in any activity that will tire you out, because that will lead to overtraining.

One thing most beginners do when they get to the gym is work on their upper body and neglect their lower body. Keep in mind that the legs are the biggest and strongest muscles in the body. Beginners should train legs from the very beginning so in the future symmetry won't be as big of a problem.

I included every major muscle group in this program to ensure that you build a proportioned physique. Last but not least, I always hear people complain that they're not getting results, calling themselves hard gainers. These are the people who can never make it in bodybuilding.

Complaining will lead you nowhere in life, and especially in bodybuilding. A good physique doesn't happen overnight. It can take up to 10 years to build a good physique.

You have to train hard, eat right, and put your mind to it. This is called the mind muscle connection. You have to plan everything in bodybuilding, make short term goals, and accomplish them. Age also affects your physique.

You can't be 15-years old and expect to look like a Mr. Olympia. When you're young, your body isn't fully developed, so you have to have patience. Genetics can either help you or hurt you, but in most cases, you can go beyond your genetic potential.

The Split:

Monday- Chest, Arms

Tuesday- Back, Shoulders, Abs

Wednesday- Legs, Neck

Thursday- Chest, Arms

Friday- Back, Shoulders, Abs

Saturday- Legs, Neck

Sunday- Rest Day

Monday - Chest, Arms:

Incline Barbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Decline Barbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Standing EZ-bar Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Lying EZ-bar Triceps Ext. 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Barbell Wrist Curls 3 x 12, 8, 6

Barbell Reverse Wrist Curls 3 x 12, 8, 6

Tuesday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:

Wide-grip Lat Pulldowns 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Hyperextensions 3 x 15

Seated DB Shoulder Presses 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Reverse Fly Machine 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Dumbbell Shrugs 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Abs Crunches* 3 x 25

Wednesday- Legs, Neck:

Squats 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Standing Leg Curls 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Standing Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Seated Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Seated Neck Resistance 3 x 15

Neck Standing Neck Resistance 3 x 15

Thursday- Chest, Arms:

Incline Heavy Barbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Flat Heavy Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Standing Heavy EZ-bar Curls 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Lying Heavy Triceps Extensions 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Standing Heavy Reverse Curls 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Friday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:

Heavy Barbell Rows 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Heavy Deadlifts 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Heavy Clean and Press 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Bent Over Heavy Laterals 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Heavy Barbell Shrugs 4 x 15, 8, 6, 4

Crunches 3 x 25

Saturday- Legs, Neck:

Heavy Squats 4 x 20, 12, 8, 6

Stiff-legged Deadlifts 4 x 20, 12, 8, 6

Heavy Standing Calf Raises 4 x 20, 12, 8, 6

Heavy Seated Calf Raises 4 x 20, 12, 8, 6

Seated Neck Resistance 3 x 15

Standing Neck Resistance* 3 x 15

1st set is a warm-up set * There are no warm-up sets

Advanced

Advanced bodybuilders have to train longer and more often, which is why I split each workout day into two parts, morning and afternoon. I included more exercises and I included supersets. Supersets will make your workout go faster and will increase your strength endurance.

When you get to the advanced level, you should have a lot of mass, and your goal is to make sure every muscle is fully developed and striated. You also have to make sure that each muscle is in proportion. After every set is completed, flex the muscle you're working.

This will bring out the most striations and will keep your muscle pumped up for the next set. Also, practice posing each muscle after your workout. Little things like these can help you win in a competition.

I included a variety of workout equipment on different workout days including barbells, dumbbells, machines and cables to ensure that you won't be repeating the same workouts and to make sure you're constantly shocking your muscles into further growth.

Advanced bodybuilders should stretch after each workout. Stretching not only decreases your chances of getting injured, but it increases your flexibility. The more flexible you are, the longer range of motion you will get. That means that more muscle fibers will be recruited and you will get more muscular gains.

When you get to the advanced level and if you choose to compete, you know how important cardio is. Not only is cardio good for your heart, but it keeps you in good shape and can help you lose those last couple of pounds so you can have a body that looks like it was chiseled out of stone. I included 30-to-60 minutes of cardio on Mondays and Thursdays after the workout.

The Split:

Monday- Chest, Arms, Cardio

Tuesday- Back, Shoulders

Wednesday- Legs, Abs, Neck

Thursday- Chest, Arms, Cardio

Friday- Back, Shoulders

Saturday- Legs, Abs, Neck

Sunday- Rest Day

Monday- Chest, Arms, Cardio:

Morning Workout:

Incline Barbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Flat Barbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Flat Dumbbell Flyes 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Standing Cable Crossovers 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Afternoon Workout:

Standing EZ-bar Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Seated EZ-bar Triceps Ext. 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Preacher Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Lying EZ-bar Triceps Ext. 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Concentration Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Triceps Pushdowns 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Barbell Wrist Curls 3 x 12, 8, 6

Barbell Reverse Wrist Curls 3 x 12, 8, 6

Perform any kind of cardio for 30 to 60 minutes.

Tuesday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:

Morning Workout:

Wide-grip Lat Pulldowns 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Close-grip Lat Pulldowns 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Seated Cable Rows 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Hyperextensions 3 x 15

Afternoon Workout:

Seated Barbell Military Presses 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Standing Lateral Raises 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Reverse Fly Machine 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Dumbbell Shrugs 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Crunches 3 x 25

Wednesday- Legs, Neck:

Morning Workout:

Seated Leg Extensions 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Standing Leg Curls 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Leg Presses 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Lying Leg Curls 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Barbell Squats 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Standing Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Donkey Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Seated Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Afternoon Workout:

Crunches 3 x 25

Hanging Leg Raises 3 x 25

Seated Neck Resistance 3 x 15

Standing Neck Resistance 3 x 15

Thursday- Chest, Arms, Cardio:

Morning Workout:

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Incline Dumbbell Flyes 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Machine Flyes 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Afternoon Workout:

Standing Dumbbell Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Seated Dumbbell Triceps Ext. 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Incline Dumbbell Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Lying EZ-bar Triceps Ext. 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Overhead Cable Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Reverse Triceps Pushdowns 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Standing Reverse Curls 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Perform any kind of cardio for 30 to 60 minutes.

Friday- Back, Shoulders, Abs:

Morning Workout:

Lat Pulldowns 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Barbell Rows 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

T-bar Rows 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Deadlifts 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Afternoon Workout:

Seated Barbell Military Presses 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Cable Lateral Raises 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Bent Over Lateral Raises 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Barbell Shrugs 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6

Saturday- Legs, Neck:

Morning Workout:

Seated Leg Extensions 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Standing Leg Curls 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Barbell Lunges 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Seated Leg Curls 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Barbell Squats 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Standing Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Donkey Calf Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Leg Press Machine Toe Raises 4 x 20, 15, 12, 8

Afternoon Workout:

Crunches 3 x 15

Hanging Leg Raises 3 x 25

Seated Neck Resistance 3 x 15

Standing Neck Resistance 3 x 15

1st set is a warm-up set There are not warm-up sets

Training Sessions

When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?

As you've seen in the training split above, there are 6 workout days for beginners, and 6 workout days split into two parts for advanced bodybuilders. Sunday is the rest day. Your muscles take between 48-to-72 hours to recover, so each day you're working different muscle groups.

Better Or Worse?

How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?

I believe that training a muscle group once a week is not enough. Your muscles don't need 6 days to recover. Training a muscle group twice per week is so much better than once per week, because your muscles will adapt to the training and grow faster.

Diet

Your diet can greatly affect your muscles' recovery time. Eat 1 gram of protein per body pound and 2 grams of carbs per body pound to get the best results.

One way to do this is to eat 5-to-6 small meals per day. In each meal include protein, carbs and some fats. Two of those meals can be protein shakes.

I recommend that you get whey protein, milk and egg or casein protein. Whey protein goes in your body fast, so you should take it post workout. Milk and egg, and casein protein go in your body slowly, so take it before you go to sleep to ensure that you body gets the nutrients it needs throughout the night.

Water is also a vital nutrient that should be consumed daily. 1-to-2 gallons of water should be enough each day. I would also recommend you get a multi-vitamin.

Supplements:

Vitamins and minerals are important, and most of the time you can't get enough of them in the foods you eat or from your one a day multi vitamin, so get something like Universal Animal Pak.

If you can't find the supplements you need at your local grocery store, check Bodybuilding.com for the best-selling supplements at some of the most competitive prices.

I hope that this article will help you in your quest to build a good physique. Thanks for reading and good luck!

3rd Place stonecoldtruth

With proper diet, rest, and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week.

Hitting each muscle group twice a week has many potential benefits, but it is also a risky endeavor. Overtraining is an all too common thing in our world of bodybuilding. Without the proper rest, nutrition, and supplementation, our muscles will not grow. Essentially that is what we all want, right?

We want that 'perfect body,' and we naturally think hitting a muscle group more frequently is going to be our best route.

However, the 'growth' that you seek is found primarily in rest and recovery time following your workout. So no, you do not grow in the gym. Your growth is going to occur during the 36-96 hours following your workout depending on intensity. However, if we want to train muscle groups multiple times during the week, we need to increase that recovery time. So before we look at the actual workout, let's analyze other ways we can increase our recovery:

Increasing Recovery

Supplementation

There are many various supplements which 'claim' to help with muscle recovery. Below are the most popular, although further self-research is advised before making any supplement purchases.

Nutrition

Proper post-workout nutrition can greatly aid in the recovery process. After your workout we want to stop muscle catabolism and let the healing and growth processes begin. During this immediate time post-workout your body is essentially a baby bird waiting for you, the momma bird, to feed it. Mouth gaping wide open, it will take in anything we give it. So, what is the best way to refuel our body?

Well, during exercise we deplete much of our muscles glycogen supply. As this is the prime source of energy during our workouts we want to replenish this source of energy. We want to do this by taking in a fast acting (or high-gi index) carbohydrate immediately post-workout.

The most popular type of carbohydrate for this purpose is dextrose/maltodextrin. However, carbohydrates alone will not bring on protein synthesis that facilitates recovery. For this, we need to supply our body with amino acids and protein. The fastest method for achieving this is a fast acting protein, such as whey protein. In this instance, we want to avoid the slower acting proteins, as well as any fats which may slow digestion.

Hydration

Hydration is a big issue before, during, and after your workouts. Properly hydrating before and during your workout will help to ensure you can workout at proper intensity. After your workout hydration is equally important, as it will help to avoid cramping and assist in the recovery process.

For the workouts outlined below it is recommended to intake 1 liter of water (32 fluid ounces) throughout your workout. In addition, extra hydration will be required on days that you do cardio after your lifting.

Workout

What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.

Working your body parts twice a week forces you to become inventive with your workouts, as we want to get the most out of workouts with encountering overtraining. Now, many people may advise a 4-day routine with either a push/pull or upper/lower type workouts, however, this runs the fine line of overtraining.

However, by thinking outside of the box we can combine these routines into a 3 day split that will give you all of the results without the overtraining.

The Split

Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, Arms, Cardio

Day 2 - Legs, Back, Abs

Day 3 - Cardio only

Day 4 - OFF

Day 5 - THE BIG 3

Day 6 - Cardio only

Day 7 - OFF

Before detailing the exercises below, it is important to detail the intensity used during these exercises. Due to being a higher frequency training our goals are not to completely destroy our Central Nervous System like some of your other workouts may.

The Workout

Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, Arms:

Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 6-8 reps

Parallel Dips (weighted) 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Seated Military Press (barbell) 3 sets x 6-8 reps

Dumbbell Lateral Raises 2 sets x 10-12 reps

Day 2 - Legs, Back, & Abs:

Leg Press (or Hack Squat) 3 sets x 6-8 reps

Stiff-Legged Deadlift 2 sets x 6-8 reps

Lying Leg Curls 2 sets x 10-12 reps

Chin Ups (weighted) 2 sets x 10-12 reps

Single Dumbbell Rows 2 sets 10-12 reps x 45 seconds

The 90-second rest period in between each set will be utilized to perform 15 crunches. This cuts down workout time and prepares your 'core' for the upcoming deadlifts.

Day 5 - THE BIG 3***

Incline Barbell Bench Press 4 sets x 4-6 reps

Barbell Squat 4 sets x 4-6 reps

Deadlift 4 sets x 4-6 reps

*** Between the three exercises you effectively hit all of the major muscle groups. While you may not isolate the individual groups, they are all worked properly.

IF you try the above method and find that you want more frequency, I strongly recommend looking into the Waterbury Method.

The Waterbury Method is recommended for Advanced Weightlifters only.

Cardio

With higher frequency training you are going to find that you have more energy for cardio than you typically would with some of the other routines you've tried. Because of this, you are given a great opportunity to take advantage of various types of cardio.

Based on personal experience I recommend either HIIT (high intensity interval training) or LILD (low intensity long distance). Each of these types of cardio bring different benefits to the table, however only by experimenting with both can you find what works for you.

Training Sessions

When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?

With higher frequency training such as this it is essential to give your body the time it needs to recover. It is with this in mind that 3-4 days of lifting is recommended for this type of training. Remembering that growth occurs during rest, it only makes sense to limit workouts in this manner.

If you do choose to follow a 4-day split, then there are many push/pull and upper/lower programs scattered all over for your use. However, for optimal training and rest a 3-day split is going to be your best option.

If you are an advanced lifter, you may find additional benefit from the Waterbury Method (mentioned above) This method relies on MUCH higher frequency, but uses specific rep/set ranges to ensure you don't overtrain improperly.

Better Or Worse?

How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?

Training muscles with higher frequency does have its benefits over training muscles only once per week, such as:

Improvement On Form/Control - The old adage states "Practice Makes Perfect" and that holds true here. By more frequent use of certain exercises, especially the compounds, we can learn how to better control our movements.

Increased Endurance - Higher frequency training is taxing on your Central Nervous System. The key here is to not overdo your training, because the body does not adapt well to overtraining.

Plateau Busting - By training the muscles twice per week we can break through our previous ceilings or plateaus. Most people will disagree here, however that is due to not feeling 'dead' at the end of these higher frequency workouts. To quote kettle bell expert and strength coach, Mike Mahler,"The goal that we are after is maximum proficiency and efficiency to get the most out of our training."

The 'Arnold' Connection - Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been a huge advocate of the mind-muscle connection. By taking advantage of our mind's ability to truly focus on the muscles we are using, we can make our high frequency workouts even better.

Conclusion

The ultimate advocate of high frequency training would have to be Arnold himself, who often worked his biceps up to 6 times per week. Can YOU argue with his results?

3rd Place TUnit

Training Each Muscle Group Twice a Week

For maximum hypertrophy, it has been proven that high frequency is the best way to achieve your goal. Some people, like Chad Waterbury and Christian Thibaudeau, even recommend training twice per day. For example, look at soccer players. They have incredible calf development - but do they ever do calf raises as part of their training? Probably not.

They get huge calves because of their sport in which they run so much and in this way are training their calves all the time. While high frequency training is probably not the answer for incredible strength gains, it is highly superior to most other training protocols in terms of hypertrophy or muscle growth.

For the purposes of this article, high frequency training means training each muscle group twice per week.

Recovery

With proper diet, rest, and supplementation it is possible to get enough recovery so that you can train each muscle twice per week.

In a high frequency training program, one of the major qualms people have with it is the rest you have between sessions. However, this problem is easily solved. When using high frequency protocols, you absolutely cannot train to failure and each session must have relatively low to moderate volume.

This is the only way that you will be able to recover between workouts, no matter how good your diet and supplementation are. In order to achieve maximum possible growth, your muscles have to recover in between workouts.

Sleep:

Something that definitely helps is getting 8 hours of sleep daily. It has been proven that most of your growth occurs when you sleep so you should maximize this "training secret" in order to get big.

Caloric Surplus

Speaking of muscle growth and recovery, you must have a caloric surplus, that is, you must consume more calories than you expend. As a general rule of thumb, eating 500 more calories than you expend will help you gain approximately 1 pound of bodyweight per week.

If those calories are mostly clean, i.e. not junk food, and you lift weights regularly and lead an active lifestyle, then almost all of that weight gain will be muscle.

Protein:

One of the keys to building muscle is eating at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Very good protein sources include

Chicken

Lean steak

Lean beef

Pork

Cottage cheese

Milk

Carbs:

Another key to building muscle is having a sufficient amount of carbohydrates for energy and for growth. Complex carbs such as rice, pasta, whole wheat bread, muesli, granola and oatmeal should be ingested for maximum effect.

Fat

The often forgotten variable to a balanced diet is healthy fat. Many people eat greasy foods such as hamburgers and the dreaded Big Mac. However, they should concentrate on eating enough flax seed oil, fish oils and nuts such as almonds. Additionally, fish oil supplements can be taken so that you make sure that you are eating enough healthy fat.

Multi-Vitamin:

If you want to build muscle, a good investment would be a multi-vitamin to ensure that you are getting all the nutrients and vitamins you need. Many people would be surprised how well a multi-vitamin can assist in muscle growth. Basically, if you hit a plateau, eat about 250-500 calories of healthy foods more per day and you will be amazed and what it can do for recovery and growth.

Hydration:

It is also very important to stay properly hydrated. Even slight dehydration can decrease performance and hamper recovery so always replenish your body with enough fluid throughout the day.

Supplementation:

Additionally, there are some supplements that you can take in order to speed up recovery and maximize performance during each workout.

Keep in mind, however, that supplementation does not replace or make up for a poor diet so make sure to have a good diet before even thinking about taking supplements.

Whey Protein

The staple supplement that every bodybuilder probably takes already. There is no real need to even explain the multitude of benefits whey offers. The main benefit being anabolism (Muscle growth).

Creatine Ethyl Ester

A new form of creatine that is really a lot more effective that creatine monohydrate because the absorption is so much better and it is much more powerful; Taking one serving pre-workout and one serving post-workout really aids in recovery.

ZMA

Helps you sleep better which leads to better recovery and may or may not increase the production of free testosterone naturally, depending if you have deficiencies of zinc and/or magnesium; it should be taken for the sleep benefits since most of growth takes place during sleep.

Multi-vitamin

No explanation needed here, the first thing you should do when purchasing supplements is get a quality multi-vitamin because it will help you meet your daily needs for various vitamins and minerals.

Workout

What is the best workout for training body parts twice per week? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, etc.

Hypertrophy Routine

For someone looking mainly for hypertrophy, a split with both max effort and repetition or dynamic effort days would work well.

While this program does not train every muscle group, it is still effective for building a functional base for size and strength.

Training Sessions

When training each muscle group twice per week, how many weight training sessions should there be per week?

When training each muscle group twice per week, there should be four weight training sessions per week. This means training on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. This is actually a popular split that many athletes use. Usually Monday and Thursday consist of upper body training and Tuesday and Friday are used for lower body.

Using this method allows you to perform one max effort day for upper and lower to stimulate the higher-threshold muscle fibers and induce functional hypertrophy and one repetition/dynamic effort day for both upper and lower to increase myofibrillar hypertrophy.

This method lets you get the "best of both worlds" of heavy strength training focusing on compound movements and strength training for maximum repetitions. Advanced trainees with superior recovery ability might be able to workout twice a day at some point, but these parameters vary incredibly depending on the specific athlete.

Better Or Worse

How does training each muscle group twice per week stand up to training each muscle group once per week? Better or worse? Why?

Training each muscle group twice per week is generally a much better way of training as opposed to training each muscle group once per week. This is because each muscle group is hit with more frequency which ultimately leads to more hypertrophy. However, there are cases in which training each muscle group once per week is superior.

For example, let's say that you were trying to prioritize your posterior chain for a short cycle (6-8 weeks) in order to maximize athletic performance. The best way of going about doing this would be to incorporate one max effort session during a training week so that you would have adequate time to recover for your next workout. For example, a sample workout could look like this:

Split Squats - 3 Sets x 6 Reps

Snatch-Grip Deadlifts - 7 Sets x 5 Reps

Romanian Deadlifts - 4 Sets x 8 Reps

In order to recover from something so grueling, you would need about 5-6 days to recover. So in your posterior chain prioritization, you would workout 3 times per week, focusing on upper body Monday and Friday, and performing this workout on Wednesday.

In general, when focusing on a specific area that you want to strengthen, it is better to incorporate a workout like the one above once per week. However, for maximum levels of hypertrophy, you definitely would want to hit each muscle group twice per week.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. The content on our website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional.